They had the same "problem" last year..Phee and Gabby were interchangeable at the 'center' position. Gabby proved she could play post defense and as it is, they play a match up zone. With Azure', she could probably start at center but she can also play on the perimeter as well..I think it would make more match up problems for other teams..your traditional centers used to guarding down low and not defending the three will have to work harder to check out on UConn players. Advantage UConn here.

Seems like UConn isn't the only school that has no center. Notre Dame, S Carolina, Maryland & Stanford also have no center on their rosters. UConn will face a quality center in Anigwe. White is still a question mark. Other than that they won't face another until April when Brown and McCowan may await them.

As far as 12345 they are just numbers. UConn looks to have a 1, 1/2's, 2/3's, 3/4's, 2/3/4's & one 4.

I'd say where someone plays depends on whether they can handle a ball, score inside, score outside, defend inside and defend outside and rebound. hen you have a player(s) who can do 4 or 5 of the above their designation is meaningless.

Seems like UConn isn't the only school that has no center. Notre Dame, S Carolina, Maryland & Stanford also have no center on their rosters. UConn will face a quality center in Anigwe. White is still a question mark. Other than that they won't face another until April when Brown and McCowan may await them.

As far as 12345 they are just numbers. UConn looks to have a 1, 1/2's, 2/3's, 3/4's, 2/3/4's & one 4.

I'd say where someone plays depends on whether they can handle a ball, score inside, score outside, defend inside and defend outside and rebound. hen you have a player(s) who can do 4 or 5 of the above their designation is meaningless.

The nomenclature trails the game on the court.

There are, to me, essentially three positions: Point guard, wing and post. Within that trio there are many variations, but fewer and fewer teams, and players, have posts who fit the old back-to-the-basket, pound-the-ball-down-low stereotype -- and for good reason. The game has changed, and rewards versatility and multiple skills, because those traits lead to more victories than one-dimensional players at any position.

Coach Staley at South Carolina found some refreshing freedom and improvement in ball movement and offensive dynamic when post Alaina Coates was lost for the season and USC went to a lineup of 4 guards and 1 forward. The guards consisted of Davis and Gray who are wings that can handle opposing forwards, and Wilson is as big-bodied as most true posts in the game, and has shown she's more than capable of battling it out in that capacity in both the international stage for Team USA as well as when Coates was lost to fouls or injury.

South Carolina's depth at the post areas at least should be improved this season over last in terms of bodies at least: Last season the team only had 6-4 Coates, 6-5 Wilson, and 6-2 freshman F Herbert-Harrigan to rely on. When Coates was down, the depth was very thin.

This coming season we'll have Wilson, a more experienced Herbert-Harrigan, plus add 6-3 transfer F Alexis Jennings from UK, and 6-1 freshman F LaDazhia Williams, who's actually a lot taller then 6-1. Here is a picture of her with the team during their trip to Japan in June. She's standing on the far left, next to 6-5 Wilson:

[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DDeD53PXgAA4Fx8.jpg:large[/img]

The Gamecocks also bring in 6-0 G/F Elisia "LeLe" Grissett who is an athletic & physical player who can battle in the paint for rebounds much like Alisha Gray and Aleighsa Welch before her...she's on Coach Chemiel's left, with her arms crossed....

Last night I watched Dallas Wings play the Atlanta Dream. The announcers were talking about the evolution of the game particular at the center position. The day of the dominant back to the basket center is becoming a thing of the past they said, being replaced by a hybrid player with guard skills in a front court player body. This transition in the NCAA was evident most acutely with Breanna Stewart being that hybrid player displacing that traditional back to basket player with a more mobile, face the basket, ball handling player who is as comfortable at the top of the key, on the perimeter as in the paint. Stevens fits that bill. The issue is going to be what team has the quickness to match up against the alacrity of UCONN front court with KLS on the wing at 6'3, Stevens at 6'6 and probably the quickest player in the paint in Collier at 6'1" with a 5'11" Gabby Williams playing guard/ forward. That is four AA's that teams now have to guard one on one. Good luck

_________________Cave Canem!
We must listen to each other no matter how much it hurts. Bishop Desmond Tutu.

Who starts is a tough call. There are 7 viable starters. At the beginning I think he can have Freshman M. Williams come off the bench, but it will be a tough call between veteran glue player combo Nurse or true point Dangerfield for that stating PG spot.

Walker who I think you are referring to can't shoot from the outside so if she gets minutes it will be around the basket where she can focus on rebounding.

Last year Williams spent a great deal of time out above the key as the high post despite taking virtually no 3 pt shots. Walker won't be expected to take a lot of shots. She has a decent midrange shot and can drive a lane. Her mechanics look sound so it might just be a matter of work. And remember, DeShields won NFOY shooting under 28% from 3 pt range (48-172).

UConn won three games during their Italy boondogle, but got hammered in their last game by the Slovenian pro team, Celje, 79-59.

Quote:

UConn led 37-36 at halftime, but Celje outscored the Huskies 25-10 in the third quarter. UConn was outscored 57-42 in the final three quarters.

Collier did not play after turning an ankle in a win over the Italian All-Star team Friday. The injury is described as an ankle sprain, and she rested for precautionary reasons.

Katie Lou Samuelson led UConn with 17 points, but was 1-for-6 on three-pointers. Freshman Megan Walker had 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, while Gabby Williams had 12 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

UConn was outrebounded 38-22, and the Huskies shot just 32 percent (22-for-69). UConn was also 6-for-25 on three-point attempts.

Somewhat apropos of this topic, the center-less (and Collier-less) Huskies got badly outrebounded by Celje and the nine guards didn't produce at the arc.

I think the fifth starting spot will go to Stevens or Dangerfield. Stevens makes a lot more sense to me, since she's better in every facet of the game except dribbling, but it probably won't matter much, especially in the AAC. Stevens seems to have been more productive than Dangerfield in the four exhibition contests for which we have fragmentary stats.

According to an article on the boneyard, KLS did not play in the second half and it sounded as though some of the other starters may not have played either. Would have loved to have seen the faces of the newbies thrown into the fire.

_________________“Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.”
― Maya Angelou
SO ...I lost a bet with Rock about how many wins Chicago would get this year. My punishment - T. Young as my avatar. Well it could be worse!

They lost to Mississippi St. because all their shooters went ice cold and nobody could pull down a rebound. It was one-and-done, one-and-done, etc.

It's beginning to look like Kevin Ollie's roster... no big men.

I could care less if they go undefeated. At the end of the day, if they can't bring home a title it's meaningless. Hopefully they can get it done, but Geno needs to get out there and get another Stephanie Dolson on the roster.

Huh. Chong and KLS were 50%, Gabby was 7/12, it was Nurse 2/8 and Collier 4/11 who couldn't shoot. Rebounds were 37 to 31 in Miss St favor. I thought Butler could have been given a few more minutes than her 6.